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Old Time Radio Researchers GroupCrime Classics

CRIME CLASSICS

Crime Classics came to CBS September 30, 1953 and was a neat little series of "true crime stories". This show introduces itself succinctly: "A series of true crime stories from the records and newspapers of every land, from every time. Your host each week, is Mr. Thomas Hyland -- connoisseur of crime, student of violence, and teller of murders. " Thomas Hyland is played by Lou Merrill, although you'd never know it was an "actor" doing the part. The great Elliott Lewis, actor, producer and director of Suspense, Broadway is my Beat and On Stage is in charge of this very intelligent and enjoyable show. Composer Bernard Herrmann duplicated authentic music of the era being dramatized, and Morton Fine and David Friedkin were the writers. Lewis and his writers collected and developed true crime stories expressly for Crime Classics.

Thomas Hyland's delivery is measured and mild-mannered, as if giving a college lecture. Would that all professors were this interesting! The actors in the stories themselves are uniformly. Sensitive orchestral scores by the great Bernard Hermann, who did Orson Welles' Mercury Theater radio show and then Alfred Hitchcock's films, give the stories sophistication and mood. So do the tasteful sound effects. There is a wry, cool-blooded tone to the proceedings.

Cases ranged from seventeenth-century murder to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Each and every story, however bizarre, is actually based on fact. For example, the show on the Younger Brothers of the American West has some very interesting background details concerning Quantrell's Raiders and the Kansas Jayhawks. In the story of "John Hayes, his Head, and How They Were Parted," we hear the tale of a glassblower who blows glass perfectly and completely surrounding the severed head of a unknown deadman. Then it is placed in a museum where it remained pending identification. Thus his killers were found out by the dead man, using his head.

This show is a good companion to other old time radio shows that are historically-oriented, such as Cavalcade of America, You Are There, and American Trail. For science and research, the shows Science Magazine of the Air and Adventures in Research are very good.

Information for this description came from John Dunning's "Tune In Yesterday The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio".

NOTE: Updated Release! Corrected episode titles and MP3 tags, and removed Windows sounds from "53-07-20 (06) The Death Of A Picture Hanger" (25-Sep-2011).

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OTRR Certification Information:

Series Name: Crime Classics
Certification Status: OTRR Certified Accurate
Certification Date: July 4, 2011
Certification Version: Version 4
Number of CDs: 1

From the Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. See "Note" Section below for more information on the OTRR.

This audio is part of the collection: Old Time Radio
It also belongs to collection: Radio Programs

Artist/Composer: Old Time Radio Researchers Group
Keywords: OTRR; Old Time Radio Researchers Group; Old Time Radio; OTRR Set; OTRR Certified Set; Crime Classics; 1950s; 1952; 1953; 1954; OTRR Updated Release; OTRR - 2011-09

Creative Commons license: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs

Notes

OLD TIME RADIO RESEARCHERS GROUP

This is a production of the Old Time Radio Researchers Group located at Old Time Radio Researchers Website and the Old Time Radio Researchers Group.

It contains the most complete and accurate version of this series in the best sound possible at the time of creation. An updated version will be issued if more episodes or better sounding ones become available.

If you are interested in preserving old time radio, you may wish to join the Old Time Radio Researchers Group at Yahoo.


Relax, listen, and enjoy!

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OTRR Definitions:

OTRR Certified Accurate -- A series that is Certified Accurate indicates that all the episodes are properly identified and labeled but that the series does not contain all known extant episodes.

OTRR Certified Complete -- A series that is Certified Complete is the highest level of certification available under the OTRR Certified Standards. This certification level implies that all the files in the series are Certified Accurate but also indicates that the series is as complete as possible – it includes all extant episodes.

OTRR Non-Certified -- A collection of shows that has not gone through the OTRR Certification process.

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Reviewer: fooziex - - February 6, 2011
Subject: Wonderful series
Thanks to the OTRRG for introducing me to another great series. Each episode dramatizes a "classic" crime, generally murder, in a witty and urbane manner. While I would listen to the episodes just for the Bernard Herrmann scores, they are indeed very enjoyable radio plays, thanks in no small part to the talents of director Elliot Lewis, a veteran of Suspense.

Reviewer: old-time-radio - - October 8, 2009
Subject: Text is from OTRCAT.com
Text is copied and pasted from the OTRCAT.com website:

Crime Classics Old Time Radio Show.

Reviewer: KroyK - - March 16, 2007
Subject: Crime Classics-The best
One of the best series ever, most enjoyable, wish there were more...

Reviewer: beshires - - August 3, 2006
Subject: Crime Classics - Excellent
If you are a fan of true crime stories, this is for you. Each episode is a jewel by itself, and the acting is spot-on!
You couldn't ask for a better entertainment piece.